Little Chef, Little Shop
by Illegal-Pharmacy
Summary: Atsushi Murasakibara doesn't believe in basketball practice. He doesn't believe that hardwork helps at all. The Yosen team just want him to practice to get ready for the Winter Cup. Himuro comes up with an idea to lure the purple giant into playing with the use of a pastry chef and a lot of sweets. MurasakibaraXOC. / T for Language
1. Chapter 1

I'm SORRY. I KNOW I SHOULD BE WORKING ON MY OTHER STORIES BUT THIS ONE JUST POPPED INTO MY HEAD I HAD TO SHARE ITTTTT.

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Chapter 1 - The Big Plan

Himuro sighed. Once again, Murasakibara decided to skip practice and the coach was NOT happy at all. "Tatsuya!" Masako snapped "Where is that giant!" The female coach tapped irritably on her clipboard. "ehh...I don't know..." "Well find him!" Himuro sighed again and put down the basketball he was holding on. "Wei!" Himuro called. The small forward nodded and pulled a box of chocolate pocky out of his bag and threw it towards Himuro.

...

"Atsushi!" Himuro called waving the box of pocky around. "Atsushi! I have pocky!" Suddenly a huge shadow loomed over him. Himuro turned around quickly as the giant purple-haired man tried snatched the sweets out of his hand. "Ah-ah-ah~!" Himuro chided hiding the pocky behind his back to face Murasakibara. "Practice first~!" He said wagging his finger. The second half of Yosen's "double ace" grunted unhappily and then turned on his heel, heading towards school gym.

...

"We're going to need another plan..." Himuro murmured to Okamura, Wei and Fukui. Himuro had gathered the team together after Murasakibara had left with his pocky. "Agreed." Okamura said. "Buy pocky for each practice is too costly. And he will soon tire of them." "I agree with thou." Wei nodded. "But what are we to do?" Fukui sighed and leaned his chin on his fist. "If only we had a manager that could bring us food for our games and practices and such..." They all closed their eyes in thought.

". . . . . ."

"ah. . ." The four Yosen basketball players opened their eyes and pounded their fist on an open palm. "That's it!" Okamura said "We just need," continued Fukui "To find a," said Wei, "a Team Manager!" Himuro finished, snapping his fingers.

...

"AY-YO!" Okamura called waving flyers around "Basketball Club needs a manager~!" as he yelled through the megaphone Himuro was handing out the applications to the swarm of girls that were all vying for the position. "Kyaaaa! Himuro-senpai!" "Over her Himuro-san!" the girls called and screeched. "One at a time, one at a time!" Himuro said, giving them all a warm smile. "We have enough for everyone!" "Yosh~!" Fukui called with Wei trailing behind him. "We finished putting up the posters." Okamura jumped down from the wall as Himuro dusted off his pants. "we're done here too!" Okamura said high-fiving Fukui. "Now we just have to wait..." Himuro nodded.

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So this will be a MurasakibaraxOC story since (1) he is my favorite KnB character and (2) he doesn't have enough fanfictions about him

Please R&amp;R

.:Illegal-Pharmacy:.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is up. so glad to have reviews already!

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**Reviewing Reviews**

**annoyed by you** &amp; **OnePiecefan202**: glad you are enjoy it so far!

**marvellover**: Your question shall now be answered!

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Chapter 2 - The Best Cake

"Maa-maa." Fukui sighed as the basketball club sifted through the mountain of applications they had received a week after the event. "...why are we even doing this..." Murasakiabara murmured grumpily. _"We're doing it for you, you dolt!"_ the other four thought in their head. They said nothing, however, as they continued to scan the hundreds of applications. "How are we going to narrow this down?" Okamura grunted. "How about by the type of food they make?" Suggested Himuro as he tapped the small box. They had added the question "What food can you make by hand?" to the typical application. "Since that is the main reason we need a manager. Then we can have a taste testing afternoon or something..." The other three agreed, Murasakiabara decided to take a nap, and promptly began to organize the sheets as such.

An hour later, all the sheets of paper had been organized into two piles. One had about 20 papers whose applicants all claimed to specialize in sweets, desserts and such.. The other had many more. The reject pile. "Yosh~!" Himuro said, straightening up the papers. "Now we just have to organize a taste testing day and then we will be all set." Murasakiabara slowly pulled the pages out of his hand and started leafing through them. The rest watched warily but Yosen's giant said nothing and simply handed the pages back before heading for the door. However, before he could open the sliding door, it was opened by coach Masako "Where are you going?" She ground out. Before Murasakiabara could reply, she shoved him back towards his seat. "Since we are all here we're going to discuss strategies and formations!" Murasakiabara inwardly groaned.

...

"Thank you all again for coming~!" Himuro said, clapping his hands together, tilting his head to the side and giving the 20 girls his trademark smile. The girls swooned as they were hit with the full power of Himuro's smile. The 20 girls and the Yosen basketball team were borrowing the Home Ec classroom and the applicants were dressed in aprons over their school uniforms. "Now all of you have been interviewed and this is the last step; We decided to get a manager not only to help Coah Masako but also to make lots of desserts and sweets so that Murasakiabara will go to practice!" The mentioned giant glared at the handsome shooting guard. So that's why there was all this dumb stuff going on. Himuro just smiled at his partner. "So," he turned back to the girls, "You have two hours to make us sweets! We will all taste test them but it ultimately comes down to Atsushi here. Good Luck!" He then turned around and joined the rest of the boys team who was sitting on the opposite side of the room. The girls began to bustle around for recipes and ingredients, chatting all the while. "Kyaaaaa~! I can't believe Himuro is going to eat my cooking!" "The Basketball team looks better up close!" Murasakiabara growled, irritated at all the high-pitched chatter. He got up to go find somewhere else to nap.

...

Two hours later and 30 minutes spent finding Atsushi, The taste testing was ready to begin. The girls had cooked everything, from little cakes to brownies to chocolate covered pretzels and tons and tons of cookies. "Thou shall now taste." Wei said, nudging the sleepy Yosen giant towards the line of sweet treats. He looked at the cookies before him and then to the girl standing behind the table. She was visibly nervous but whether from the idea of someone critiquing her food or from the formidable first year in front of her, they couldn't tell. He looked once more at the plate and then stuck a cookie in his mouth. Chewing slowly, then swallowing the four other boys waited patiently for his analysis. But the giant didn't say anything and instead moved on to the next plate which had double-chocolate brownies piled up high. He continued down the line, looked first at the plate, then the chef then ate one sweet and moved on. The others also tasted the food, expressing whether they liked it or not. Eventually Murasakiabara ran out of plates and the rest of the team had stopped around the 13th or 14th person due to an overload in sugar. "Well Atsushi?" Fukui groaned. How Murasakiabara eat all that sugar and not throw up he'd never know. The 208 cm Center swallowed the last bite of the cake from the last plate. "I think..." he started slowly.

But before Atsushi could finish, a loud voice in the hallway interrupted him. "Mai-chan's Cake is the best! There is nothing like it in the whole wide world~!" a peppy high-pitched voice said. "Oi, oi! You're so loud!" another voice said, this one more irritated. The classroom door slid open. All eyes turned to the short girl who bounced inside, her pale tealish hair and white hair ribbon bouncing all around. "Cake! Cake! Cake!" She chanted. She wore the standard pink and red tartan school skirt with matching tie and white long-sleeved button up. Her pink eyes sparkled as she stared at the girl who came in behind her. "So troublesome..." the other girl sighed stepping into the room as the girl continued to bounce and whine. This girl was tall, almost as tall as Fukui. She also wore the standard school uniform as well as blue half-rimmed glasses that framed dull golden eyes. Her messy off-white hair made her skin seem very pale. "ah..." The taller girl scanned the curious faces in the room. "Mai-chan~! Cake!" The smaller girl said, tugging on the other girl's sleeve. The duo seemed to ignore the small audience in the room as they walked to the tall refrigerator. The taller girl opened the fridge, reached in and pulled out two slices of strawberry shortcake with a lot of strawberries and whipped cream. "Here Suki-chan." The presumed Mai-chan said in a bored tone. The shorter girl squealed with joy and was about to devour the sweet treat when a large palm snatched the cake out of her hands.

Wide-pink eyes stared up at the giant the towered above her. The purple haired teen studied the cake he had stolen before popping the whole slice in her mouth. "HEY! Get your own cake!" The little girl screamed and started beating her fists against Murasakiabara giant chest. Everyone except the tall girl watched the comical scene, trying not to laugh and also hoping that Atsushi wouldn't step on the girl. Atsushi ignored her and chewed the cake slowly and thoughtfully before swallowing. At that, the Teal-hair girl screeched louder and was about to kick the huge basketball center before her friend intervened.

"So troublesome..." The Girl grumbled again before grabbing the scruff of the tiny girl's shirt and lifted her off the ground. "Let me down Mai-chan! He ate my cake! he will pay!" the girl continued to whine. "I have another slice. I don't like sweets." The girl said, setting the other one down and thrusting the second slice in her hands. "Let's go, Suki." She said, putting her school bag over her shoulder and walked out of the room. "Hai Hai!" the now happy Suki chirruped and marched out of the room as well, munching on the new slice of cake as she went.

". . . . . . ."

"W-W-Well that was interesting..." Okamura said. Himuro clapped his hands together to break the awkward silence. "So~ Murrasakiabara! Whose sweets were the best?" Everyone watched the giant. He opened his mouth, raised his hand and pointed at the door, and said "Her cake."

". . . . . . ."

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As always R&amp;R if you have any comments!

.:Illegal_Pharmacy:.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 is simply chapter 2 from Mai's POV.

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**Reviewing Reviews**

**Guest:** I find as the story lengthens (in chapters) the chapters get longer since there is more content to them

**OnePiecefan202:** which video game pray tell?

**NeitherSaneNorInsane:** I will admit, Hunny was one of the characters I took elements from for Suki

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Chapter 3 - The Cake Thief

"Oi, Hikari!" The tall first year raised her head from her desk and rubbed her eyes groggily. Her math teacher was scolding her and the rest of the class had turned to stare at the white-haired girl. "...What." The girl asked, slightly annoyed that she was woken up from her nap. The teacher tightened his jaw and pointed at the board. "Solve this problem!" He ordered. Hikari sighed, adjusted her glasses and sat up a little straighter, staring at the board. The teacher had drawn a three-part question with complimentary graph, the quadratic formula and an optimization equation. "...X equals three-sevenths, Y is 64.9 and Z is a true statement." She said after a minute of calculating in her head. The teacher glared at her before saying, "c-correct..." The class tittered a little. The teacher was always trying to catch the girl asleep but Hikari Mai was a mathmatical genius.

As the teacher turned back to the board to show the class how Mai had gotten the answers, the tall girl turned her head to stare out the window. "...so troublesome..." the girl mumbled as she watched the clouds float by. Hikari Mai was 16-years-old and a first year at Yosen High School. She was about 180cm tall, which was taller than most girls and boys in the school. Her fingers absentmindedly combed through her messy, medium-lengthed white hair as she started zoning out again.

...

"Mai-chan~!" a voice hollered down the hallway as Mai walked out of her Calculus class. She turned around and looked at the small girl barreling towards her. Hamamaru Suki was about 150cm with bight pink eyes and pastel-teal hair. She hugged Mai roughly from the front squealing in happiness. "Oi, oi!" the taller girl said, pulling the girl away from her by the back of her shirt. "Sorry Mai-chan!" the girl smiled. "I'm just really excited for cake!" Mai blinked once, twice. "...cake?" She asked, tilting her head to the side as she set the girl back down. Suki pouted and pointed at the tall girl. "Yeah Cake! you promised you'd bring me cake today!" Mai blinked again. "Ah." She remembered. "...so troublesome." the girl mumbled her familiar phrase before turning on her heel and walking towards the Home Ec classroom. "Yay!"

...

Suki continued jumping and squealing as the pair walked down the empty hallways. The taller girl absent-mindedly watched the clouds roll by. "...it must be nice to be a cloud..." She mused. "Mai-chan's Cake is the best! There is nothing like it in the whole wide world~!" Suki sang loudly in the hallway, making Mai jump. "Oi, oi! You're so loud!" she growled. Suki grabbed the door handle and slid the door open with a bang. "Cake! Cake! Cake!" The hyper girl chanted as she bounced into the room. "...so troublesome..." Mai said as she stepped into the room. "ah..." It seemed that the pair walked in on some sort of meeting. There were about 20 girls all wearing aprons standing behind an assortment of baked goods and sweets. Four guys were standing around in a group and an extremely tall fith boy was standing at the end of the long row of girls. Suki tugged harshly on her sleeve, making her look down. "Mai-chan~! Cake!" the girl whined. Mai nodded, walking over to the fridge and opening it. After a minute of rumaging around, she found the two slices of strawberry shortcake she had made earlier that day for her friend. "Here Suki-chan." she said, handing the piece that had more cream smeared on it. The shorter girl squealed with joy and was about to devour the sweet treat when a large palm snatched the cake out of her hands.

The tall boy with purple hair had walked over and snatched Suki's coveted treat from her, studying the dessert closely. Then he put the whole thing in his mouth. "HEY! Get your own cake!" The little girl screamed and started beating her fists against his gigantic chest. Mai watched her friend passively. Suki was always very defensive about her sweet treats. When the giant swallowed her treat Suki screamed louder and lifted her leg to kick the boy. "...so troublesome..." Mai mumbled again and grabbed her sweet toothed friend by the back of her shirt lifting her several feet from the ground. The girl flailed her arms and legs helplessly. "Let me down Mai-chan! He ate my cake! he will pay!" the girl continued to whine. "I have another slice. I don't like sweets." Mai reminded her, setting Suki down and thrusting the second slice in her hands. "Let's go, Suki." She said, swinging her black school bag over her shoulder and walked out of the room. "Hai Hai!" the now happy Suki chirruped and marched out after her, munching on the new slice of cake as she went.

...

"Hey Mai-chan..." Suki mumbled as she finished licking the cream off of the plate. "Hmm?" Mai said as she stared at the clouds lying on her back. "Why do you think those people were in the kitchen?" Suki wondered, tapping the fork on her chin. "I dunno." Mai replied boredly. "Do you think it was a cooking contest? There was a lot of cookies and cakes!" Her pink eyes widened "ehhh~! Maybe it was a dessert-off!" Suki was about to ask another question when Mai's cell phone rang. The tall girl reached over and searched through her black school bag before pulling out a phone and answering. "Hai?" She muttered, eyes still on the sky. "Mai! Where are you?" Her mother said sternly in her ear. "At school...with Suki" She replied slowly. "Well you need to come work so wrap it up." Her mother said and hung up. "...so troublesome..." Mai said before getting up. She grabbed her friend by the scruff of the shirt like always and hoisted her up on her feet. "Time for work." Mai said and headed towards the school enterance.

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Please keep those reviews coming!

.:Illegal_Pharmacy:.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys..Sorry it's been over a year. I'm really suprised so many have taken to this story!

I am trying my best to keep it up. I don't plan on dropping it anytime. I've just been really busy.

Anyway, here's the chapter you've all been (patiently) waiting for!

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Chapter 4 - The Search

"Where is Murasakibara!" Coach Masako yelled over the gym, enraged that the giant had skipped practice. Again. for the fourth day in a row that week. The rest of the Yosen team looked at each other before Himuro tentatively replied with, "...he said he isn't coming until he can eat another desert made by that girl..."

". . . . . . . "

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

...

Murasakibara laid on the school roof looking at the sky. As he watched the clouds pass by, he frowned and took the almond pocky out of his mouth. "...it's not sweet enough..." He mumbled, looking at the stick in his hand before dropping it beside him. He sighed to himself. Since eating that "Mai-chan's" cake, none of his sweets could compare. He returned his eyes to the sky and started thinking about how smooth the cream was, how soft the cake was and how tasty the strawberries were.

...

"Mai-chan you have frosting on your face again!" Suki said, wiping some pink frosting from her friends cheek and sticking her finger in her mouth. "Mmmmmmmmmm~! Whipped cream!" Suki hummed. Mai just sighed and started to walk down her street on her way to school. "Wait up Mai!" Suki ran after her tall companion. As the pair walked to school, Suki was chatting a mile a minute about the new candy store that had opened a few blocks away from her house and how she hoped they had candies she had never tried before. Mai just nodded her head once in a while and started thinking about pulling out the kobatsu as she tugged her scarf closer to her face.

...

Mai blinked slowly. "Who are you again?" Mai asked the second-year boy who called her out during the lunch break. "Hisomara Rin!" The grey-haired student stated, puffing out his chest. "I'm in your English class!" Mai continued her blank stare. "H-H-Hey! come back!" Rin yelled as Mai abruptly turned around and started to walk away. Frustrated the second-year reached out and grabbed Mai's wrist roughly. "I was trying to confess to you damnit it!" Rin continued, not seeing Mai's golden eyes narrow.

"Oi, oi!" Okamura murmered to his two other compatriots hiding in the bushes. "Maybe we should come back another time..." The Yosen Basketball team had been busting their asses off not only in practice but in finding the white-haired girl whose cooking creations had captured their center-position. After about a week of consulting various sources (mostly Himuro asking favors from his female fan club) they had located the mysterious girl. Currently they were squatting behind some bushes in the courtyard, intending to surround the girl after school. However, instead they had stumbled upon a confession! Fukiu waved the gorilla off. "It's fine! It's not like we're snooping or any-" suddenly there was a yell and a dark shadow fell across them. "Mah?" the trio said looking up, just in time to see Hisomara Rin fall on top of them.

Mai disliked many things. Sweets, juice, vegetables. But one of the things she hated most of all was when people touched her without permission. Tuning out whatever the indignant grey-haired second year was saying, Mai grabbed his arm with her free arm and twisted it around. The boy let out a yelp of pain as Mai held his arm in the twisted position and grabbing the back of his shirt, she flung him into some bushes.

"Don't ever touch me again." Mai stated coolly, before turning around and heading back into the building.

"S-Sc-Scarey..." the pile of boys in the bushes whispered.

...

"Konepito!" Suki cheered as she ran into the new candy shop. Mai sighed, leaning against the shops out door window pane as she watched the clouds pass by. She was planning on going home to take a nap praying that her mom wouldn't needed her help at the shop today. Somehow Suki dragged her across town instead so she could explore the new candy store. As always, Mai let herself melt into the background as people shuffled to and from their destinations. "People always seemed to be in such a rush for some reason" Mai thought as she yawned. "It's so much easier to go with the flow..."

Himuro had never seen Murasakibara move so fast outside of practice before. The purple haired giant was eager to visit a new candy shop that had just opened up. He was hoping to find something super sweet he'd never tasted before. His mind was still preocuppied with "that cake" as he called it. He was frustrated he wouldn't be able to have another slice, maybe ever again. "Atsushi!" Himuro called from behind. Murasakibara ignored him, quickly crossing the street before the crosswalk sign changed and barreled into the store. Himuro bent forward, catching his breath. he was only two seconds short of catching up with the center. Standing back up straight he looked across the street at the shop as cars passed by. There was someone standing outside.

He blinked.

"You're Hikari Mai, right?" Mai looked up from her black flip phone. Standing in front of her was a boy wearing her school's uniform with slick, black hair, bangs parted to cover his left eye completely. He had a friendly smile on his face. "...Yeah?" Mai replied uncertain of his motives. "I'm Himuro. Tatsuya Himuro." Mai nodded slowly. "From the basketball team right?" she asked, deadpanned. Himuro laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah. I'm on the team." Mai didn't say anything, instead raising one eyebrow that silently said 'so why are you bother me?' "Anyway, I was wondering if-"

Before he could finish, that teal-haired girl, Suki if memory served him correctly, came out the shop and ran into Mai, holding two bulging shopping bags. "Mai! I'm done!" Ski squealed happily. The small girl started rattling off the contents of the store's candy collection, completely oblivious to the fact Himuro was standing there. Mai let her finish her field report and pushed off the window she was leaning on. "Let's go." She said, turning to walk past Himuro.

"Hey wait a minute!" Himuro said.

Mai stopped in her tracks.

But only because a purple-haired giant was blocking the path way.

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Keep up the R&amp;R! It really helps my writing and encourages me that there are people out there who enjoy my work!

.:Illegal-pharmacy:.


	5. Chapter 5

Wow. I'm just. Blown away at the response I've gotten to the last chapter! Currently there are **100 **followers, more than I could have ever imagined and I'm glad so many of you are enjoying it!

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Chapter 5 - The Bakery

Mai lived by a rule. A quite simple rule in her opinion. If it was too bothersome, why do it? But it seemed that people never acknowledged this. Suki always dragged her around the city. Her parents made her work. Teachers made her learn. At least her classmates left her alone. That was, until today. Mai was getting irritated at the fact that so far today, two people she didn't really know just walked up to her and started talking to her. That was two people too many in her opinion. That silver-haired guy earlier today made her miss her nap time. And then this Himuro kid interrupted her thoughts while waiting for her best (?) friend. As soon as Suki was done rambling, Mai was ready to leave, completely ignoring the Tatsuya kid.

A human wall stood in her way.

Annoyed, Mai looked up to growl at whoever dared stand in her way.

She blinked.

"Muro-chin~!" The giant whined, arms full of candies. "They don't have any more bags and I can't carry all the candy~!" Himuro gaped at his partner. For one he hadn't seemed to see Mai nor realized he blocked her path. Secondly, HE WAS HOLDING A SHIT-TON OF CANDY. Packs of Nerunerunerune candies, Konpieto, Pocky, Poifull, Koalas March, Wasabi Chips, Hi-Chew... his collection was endless. And as each second passed, the giant struggled not to drop anything. "Oi oi!" Tatsuya groaned and rushed over to grab half of the haul into his arms. Murasakibara continued to whine and fidget. Even though he knew Muro-chin wouldn't eat his candies, he still didn't want him to hold them. They were his!

Mai took a step back as "Muro-chin" helped the other one. It was a comical site. The human wall was about a foot taller than her. Something Mai realized shr found refreshing. Himuro started to repremaind the purple man-child whose eyes were fixed on the candies in the others arms. It was almost cute. Except the bickering started giving Mai a headache.

"HEY YOU!" Suki yelled pointing at the pair. They both looked at the infuriated little girl. "YOU'RE THAT CAKE THIEF!" Suki glared, stomping right up to Atsushi. "You ate my cake you big meanie!" Suki continued, pounding her arms on Atsushi's stomach.

Murasakibara blinked and looked at the small person attempting to beat him up. "Nani?" He muttered as the girl continued to rant and rave at him. The teal hair seemed familiar...and that high-pitched voice...Murasakibara frowned as he tried to remember.

"Tch! You're always causing a ruckus!" Mai snapped, grabbing her friend by the collar, as usual, and tugging her away from the pair of boys.

Ah.

Murasakibara looked up and saw "that" woman who was holding back her friend with one hand and shuffling around her school bag with the other. "Cake..." Murasakibara mummbled.

"Here." Mai pulled out a folded plastic bag. Everyone blinked once. "For your snacks." Mai explained as she unfolded the large bag. "Mom made me do a delivery this morning so you can have this. I don't need it." Mai held it out to him. "Ah, thank you Hikari-san." Himuro said quickly as he promptly dropped the half of Mura-kun's he was holding in the bag before taking it. Murasakibara put his armful of snacks in as Muro-chin held it then took the bag from him.

"Let's go." Mai stated, passing the boys as she dragged her friend behind her by the collar of her sweater.

"Mai-chan let go!" Suki struggled.

"No."

"I bought you those coffee candies you like~!"

". . . . . . . Fine."

...

"Muro-chin~!" Atsushi called down the school corridor. Himuro looked up from the small group of girls that surrounded him to see his friend waving towards him eating a bag of chips. Himuro politely excused himself from the group before walking over to him.

"Yes Mura-kun?"

"I want to go to a bakery and eat sweets today." he declared loudly.

"okay?"

"You come too."

Himuro was taken aback slightly. Murasakibara went where ever he felt like going, with or without him. Himuro was about to politely decline when a light bulb went off in his head.

"I'll go with you if ONLY if you come to practice today."

"...Muro-chin is so mean."

...

Masako was truely amazed. First of all, Murasakibara was actually at practice! that lazy oaf was standing under the net. Albeit he still held his bored attitude and half the time he wasn't paying attention, glancing at the clock every few minutes, but still; he was here. Secondly, at first he wasn't trying at all but then Himuro said something to him and the giant lump of a player started being more active in the drills. In fact, Masako noticed that everytime Murasakibara started drifting or half-assing things, Himuro would say something and he would snap right back in line.

Coach Masako wasn't the only person who noticed this odd performance. The other three members of the team noticed as well. "Mah, Himuro-kun?" Fukui murmmered during a water-break. "How did you get that big lump to come to practice?"

Himuro took a swig of his water bottle. "I told him I'd go with him a bakery or some thing like that. If he doesn't participate in practice I won't go with him."

Murasakibara watched the clock immpatiently. Practice was only half over and he really wanted to eat sweets! He scowled as the second hand ticked by slowly. "I want to crush it..." Murasakibara muttered under his breath. Mura-chin was being so mean. First he made him go to practice. Then he said he wouldn't go with him if he did participate!

"Let's take it from the top one more time!" Coach Masako called out.

...

Finally practice was over! Murasakibara tapped his foot impatiently. His stomach was growling and Himuro was taking too long! Finally the black-haired boy appeared, his bag slung over his shoulder. "Let's go get some pasteries then Mura-kun?" Himuro said happily. He was still pleased that his plan work perfectly. Murasakibara shoved something towards him. "Nani?" Himuro took the plastic bag from the giant's hand. "Eh? You still have this?" It was the bag Mai had given them last week in front of that candy store.

"...I don't know where it is..." Murasakibara mummbled, avoiding eye contact with Himuro as he turned the bag over. Printed on the crumpled black plastic was a rabbit logo and the words "バニー ベーカリー" followed by an address. "Bunny...Bakery?" (a/n: pronounced Banni Bakery) Himuro muttered as he smoothed over the plastic.

Wait...

...

Hikari Mai sighed as she waited for her shift to be done. She laid her head on the counter as her eyes followed the second hand ticking around the circular frame. Business had been slow today so her mom left her in charge of the bakery to run out and do errands. There were only two tables currently being used in the shop. One was taken by two grandmothers gossiping over some sweet buns and green tea. The other was a business man drinking a cup of coffee and reading today's paper. Suki had left several hours ago, the energetic girl rushing home to finish some homework. At least the shop was significantly quieter now. Mai took another deep breath and started tracing patterns in the wooden counter top with her finger.

The Bunny Bakery was a family business. Started by her great-grandfather, it had been passed down to her father until he died while she was young. Being the only child, possession was passed to her mother who remarried a few years later. Her step-father had no problem keeping the business but worked full time in a law firm. So the staff was composed of Mai, her mother, one of her step-brothers and two other hired hands. Mai was the only child from her mother's first marriage. Counting her step-family she was the third oldest. Her oldest step-brother, Dai was studying university abroad. Her second step-brother Kai was getting ready for University entrance exams and her half sister, Lian, was only seven years old.

Mai was slightly irritated that her mother insisted she work there. They had more than enough funds to hire a full staff. But Mai knew deep down that her mother just wanted to spend time with her. She also knew it was because Mai was good in the kitchen. It was ironic really. Mai had the talent to draw out the sweetest tastes and the most heavenly aromas from the ingredients she used for making pastries and bread. But the cream-haired girl absolutely detested sweets. From an outsiders perspective it would seem odd to watch her work. She never measured and look at recipes only when she was making something for the first time. She never taste tested her creations either. But without a doubt, her masterpieces tasted good every time.

The door bell tinkled cheerily. Mai ignored it, eyes fluttered shut.

Maybe they'll go away.

"Cake-chin."

Grudgingly, she looked up.

Towering above her was the human wall again.

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Please continue to R&amp;R!

.:Illegal-Pharmacy:.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everyone! again I'm thoroughly enjoying the reviews and follows and favorites and **completely **overwhelmed with everyone! in addition I have recieved several PMs regarding the broken links on my profile. These are especially important because they are links to my charahub profile. Charahub is this great site where authors can basically fill out all kinds of information on their OCs and upload pictures and such. I have emailed FFNsupport but no response yet. Therefore I will leave instructions to my charachub at the bottom of the page as I have recently added Suki and Mai to it! They aren't completely filled out yet but I will keep you all updated on edits!

Also I will be returning to college August 22nd. That means I'm not sure when the next update for LCLS will happen But I promise you guys that it WILL be finished! it might just go on a semi-hiatus.

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**Reviewing Reviews**

**Savage Kill:** Mai doesn't hate or love spicy foods. She doesn't mind them. Her favorite things tend to be bitter like black coffee and coffee candies. You can read a little bit more about her likes and dislikes in the charahub link at the end of the story! Also I try not to make OC/character pairings by making the OC just the flip-gender of the character. It was stated that Murasakibara liked tall girls but that aren't taller than him. After that I thought logically what kind of girl would Atushi like at all? someone who did mind his sweets addiction and pretty laid back. Hence Mai's personality.

**xx-BrittCullen-xx:** No need to apologize. Many have speculated (correctly) that I did pull some Atushi and Shikamaru traits for Mai. :)

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Chapter 6 - The Mother

"Cake-chin."

That's what Atsushi decided he'd call her while they were walking over to the shop. Mai looked up at the pair.

"Oi Mura-kun!" Himura said, peeking from behind his partner. "That's Hikari-san." Murasakibara ignored him. "Cake-chin." He stated again.

Mai blinked. She seemed to be doing that alot lately. Standing up from the stool she grabbed two menus and lead the pair to one of the open booths. Placing the menus on either side of table, the boys sat down. She left but returned shortly with two glasses of water. "Let me know when you're ready to order." She mummbled and turned to leave.

Murasakibara reached out lightning fast and grabbed her wrist. Mai's eyes narrowed.

"Mah, Cake-chin," the giant drawled, his hand a vice-like grip on her. "I want some of that cake with cream and strawberries."

"Fine." she said curtly before attempting the shake his hand off of her.

"I want two slices." He insisted, holding on stubbornly. "With extra cream and strawberries."

"Let go."

He complied. Mai shuffled off to the counter as Murasakibara's eyes followed her. He watched carefully as the girl started making some whipped cream from scratch. Murakisabara didn't really care for girls. They were small and weak. But Cake-chin was tall, only a foot shorter than him. And she made pastries. He continued watching as she retired her previously lose ponytail before rolling up her sleeves to wash some strawberries.

While Murasakibara was observing their waitress, Himuro observed him, amusement clear on his face. He studied his friend, even after he went back to looking through the menu. Murasakibara didn't really get along with females. Very few dared to approach him and even less attempted to talk to him. Of course he had several admirers but they knew that Mura-kun was only into eating snacks and candies and sweets. None had ever caught his attention before too. In addition, Himuro was surprised that Mai hadn't flipped out after watching her soundly reject Hisomara Rin. Atsushi was probably just lucky. As customers, she probably had to refrain herself from hurting them. That or Atushi had too strong a grip. His train of thought was broken when a plate was harshly put on the table. Looking up from the menu he saw that Mai had brought Murasikabara two thick slices of cake covered in cream and strawberries.

"And you, Himuro-san."

He looked up, bored, dull gold eyes staring at him.

"Ah." In his musings he hadn't really looked at the menu. He glanced down and picked the first thing he saw. "Sweet red bean drink with ice cream please." Mai nodded before turning on her heel back to the kitchen.

...

Murasakibara decided he was in heaven. The cake was even better than he remembered as he let his tongue roam freely over the moist piece of cake in his mouth. Light and fluffy and perfectly delectable. He moaned internally as he stuck a forkful of cream and strawberries in his mouth. Meanwhile, Mai was feeling something very opposite. Her Step-brother Kai was supposed to be here hours ago to take over her shift. He was two and a half hours late and Mai really wanted to take a nap. The other half of her discontent was the boy currently finishing his fifth plate of cake. This man child was making the pile of dishes in the back room grow taller and taller. Thankfully Himuro-san had only ordered a small coffee after finishing his red bean drink.

The pair finally left after another hour. "Cake-chin," Murasakibara drawled out as they left. "You're cake is really good."

"so bothersome..." Mai muttered and locked the door behind them. And turned off the shop lights before heading upstairs to her waiting bed, ready to forget all about her troublesome day.

...

Cake-chin. Cake-chin, Cake-chin, Cake-chin. That is all Mai ever heard. At first she didn't mind because she only saw Murasakibara at the bakery and he was a paying customer. But then they started running into each other in the street, her on the way to work and him on his way to eat cake. When the giant was alone Mai didn't mind him that much. As they walked to the bakery, Atsushi didn't care that she didn't talk or that she liked to watch the birds fly in the sky. Likewise, she didn't care that all he did was eat snack after snack. Sometimes Suki would be with her though. And she would pester (some might call it bully) the giant until he gave her something. Other times, the giant would growl at her.

Then there was school. Somehow Himuro had been able to map out a general idea of where she would be at what time and pretended they were meeting "accidentally" all over campus. and he wouldn't stop pestering her about something or other. Mai never really listened because she knew the whole thing would just be bothersome. It was also troublesome that girls started glaring and whispering about her when they saw her with the popular boy. Mai knew that they were just misinformed so soundly ignored them. No one dared to approach her, as they knew of her cold personality (Hisomara Rin had become somewhat famous as the boy rejected with a body flip) but if anyone asked her a thing about Himuro, Mai would just shrug and say "He keeps asking me to do somehing. It's not like we're dating or anything.

...

Himuro sighed dejectedly. The unconventional pair in front of him were walking in comfortable silence to the the bakery. Himuro had yet again tried to ask Mai if she would be interested in becoming the team's manager by waiting at the end of the day by the school entrance for her. Unsurprisingly when she arrived, his purpled-headed partner was already trailing behind her. He shuffled behind them, lost in his musings, unaware that they were walking into the bakery when,

"MAI~!" a voice called out. Himuro looked up and saw an aproned woman balancing two trays on her hands appear out of the kitchen. she appeared to be in her late 40s with the same creamy white hair that Hikari had. "Get your apron on! It's testing day~!"

"So troublesome." Mai mumbled, throwing her bag behind the counter and retrieving her apron from it's hook.

"Oh my. What handsome boys you've brought with you!" the woman exclaimed, passing the trays off immediately Mai. Mai set them down on the counter and began placing buns and pastries in their proper place behind the glass of the display case.

"I'm Aoyama Haruko! Mai's mother!" the woman beamed at the pair.

"Cake-chin's obasan..." Atushi mummbled.

Himuro blinked. "Aoyama?"

"Oh yes," Haruko said cheerily, "Mai's father was Hikari Narumi but he died several years ago. I ended up remarrying but Mai decided she wanted to keep her father's surname. Anyway, Come! sit down!" the woman ushered the two boys to the nearest table. Haruko took their order (two slices of Strawberry shortcake for Atushi and an ovaltine drink for Himuro) before bustling away. Himuro watched in awe as Mai's mother flitted around the bakery. It was almost surreal. Hikari Mai moved slowly and purposefully with a seemingly tired aura hanging about her. Haruko however was cheerful and bubbly, chatting with all the customers, laughing loudly and rarely stayed long behind the counter. Mai meanwhile had disappeared into the kitchen.

"I'm so very glad you two came!" Haruko said, refilling Murasakibara's glass of milk for the third time that afternoon. "I noticed you're wearing the Yosen uniform! Mai never brings anyone else over except for Suki." Haruko sighed. "I always wonder if she's made any friends since moving schools..."

Himuro smiled politely. "Well Atushi here really likes Hikari-san's baking so he's a regular."

"Oi Mai!" Haruko hollered.

"What." Mai poked her head out of the kitchen.

"How come you've never introduced me to these fine young men! and They tell me they're regulars." Haruko fake pouted at her daughter.

Mai sent a pointed glare at Himuro. "Because it was troublesome." she snapped before ducking back into the kitchen.

Haruko sighed agian. "She's got such a lazy attitude about things. I wish she'd get more involved with the school. She used to play volleyball you know? The tallest girl on the court." Haruko gazed out the window as she remenisced. Atushi meanwhile had finished the milk and lumbered out of his seat, wandering over the to the cakes and pastries on display trying to figure out which ones he wanted to take home for the night.

Himuro perked up. "Aoyama-san." he started slowly before Mai's mother laughed loudly.

"No need to be so formal Himuro-kun! You can call me Haruko!"

"...Hiruko-san then. You wish Hikari was more involved at school?"

"Yes. But I haven't the slightest idea how to convince her..."

"Well, we're on the boys basketball team and are desperately in need of a team manager. I think Hikari would be perfect for the job however, She's told me that she's too busy working..."

Haruko stared at the the basketball player before a grin split open on her face.

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**Charahub instructions:**

Google "Charahub serendipitoast" and it should be the first result. Charahub doesn't have a search on its site for users and FFN doesn't allow links so...

As Always R&amp;R and see you (hopefully) next month!

.:Illegal_Pharmacy:.


	7. Chapter 7

Oh boy. Thanks everyone for patiently waiting and putting up with me everyone! I've had a really rough semester. Shoutout to **Savage Kill** for PM-ing me so kindly about updates. I do want you all to know that I do read all the reviews and PMs people send me. Also I have been thinking a lot about this story and I'm thinking about expanding it? potentially developing it into a crossover series with Haikyuu! We'll see. Let me know what you think!

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**Reviewing Reviews**

**lotusalchemist:** I know that Mai isn't strongly developed at this point which can be hard to come to a decision about her. I have plans to do some chapters from her POV but overall I wanted to get the feel of the readers slowly learning about her as other characters do. Her personality is very reserved and closed off and gernerally hates interacting with people which I recognize can make it difficult to get a strong feeling on her. Luckily Suki is here to help us out.

**Savage Kill:** all will soon be revealed ;)

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Chapter 7 - The Manager

"You've reeeeeeeeeeeally done it now Tatsy-chan~." Suki said to the tall shooting guard.

"...How mad is she?" Himuro asked as he shot a three pointer. He was half scared and half bemused.

"Really mad." Suki hummed as she played with the lollipop in her mouth, legs swinging back and forth as she sat on the small ledge. "It's worse than the time Dai-kun accidentally ate her espresso bean candies."

Himuro had gone to the park that weekend afternoon to shoot some hoops and the small teal-haired companion had stumbled upon him, a fresh bag of goodies in hand. She sat on the small stone wall ledge as she watched the basketball player experiment.

"Dai-kun?" Himuro asked as he pretended to evade an invisible opponent.

"Mhmm." Suki muttered as she rummaged around for another treat. "Mai-chan's oldest brother! He's studying in America but one time he-"

"Oi." Someone said as they hit the small girl on the head.

"Ow~!" Suki complained twisting her neck to see who injured her. Her face split into a wide smile. "Mai-Chan!"

"Stop saying unnecessary things." Hikari stated plainly.

"Hello Hikari-san." Himuro smile politely.

She glared at him coldly. "Traitor-san." She muttered curtly at him.

"Muro-chin made Cake-chin mad." Murasakibara stated matter-of-factly from behind his teammate.

"Oi, oi!" Himuro argued, "why is everyone ganging up on me!"

A flash of annoyance crossed Murasakibara face. "You're making Cake-chin do something troublesome. If she's working at the school then she won't be working at the bakery!"

"...That's why he's upset..." Himuro thought to himself. "But if Cake- I mean Hikari-san, works with the team then she'll bring food to practice." Himuro countered.

Murasakibara blinked. "Oh." The giant's face revert to its normal bored expression.

"That was easy..." Himuro sighed in relief.

"...wait...Where did they go?"

The two basketball players scanned the park but Hikari and Suki had disappeared.

...

Mai grumbled as she trudged slowly to the Yosen gymnasium. Ever since Himuro had put that troublesome idea in her mother's head last Friday, she's been one grumpy grump grump (to quote Suki). Mai had tried every fool-proof method to get out of it.

"I have to work." "I'll change your hours."

"I have homework." "If the Basketball players can handle it you can."

"I'm too tired." "You're always tired."

"I can't." "Yes you can."

"I don't want to." "Too bad."

The tall girl groaned, stopping in the gym's door way.

"Cake-chin."

Hikari looked up, an irritated expression plastered on her face. The purple-haired human wall was standing in front of her, a basketball was held in one hand and he was looking expectantly at her bag. Peeking around him she saw the other basketball players looking curiously at the pair.

"Mu-san." She nodded politely.

He motioned her over to follow him as he ambled over to the other members of the team.

"Hikari-san!" Himuro smiled and waved at her as she approached.

"Hmph." Mai pouted and turned her head away from him childishly. "Traitor-san."

Liu, Fukui, and Okamura watched with wonder at the trio's interactions. Mu-san? Cake-chin? Traitor-san? What the hell did they get themselves into?

...

"Okay let's take a break!" Coach Masako called out. The Yosen basketball team sighed in relief. Since Mai didn't know a whole lot about basketball Coach Masako wanted the boys to do some intense three on three in order to explain the different mechanics and stratagies to the newly appointed manager. Mai of course wasn't too interested in learning about basketball but Masako scared her slightly. In fact she reminded Mai of-

"Cake-chin."

Mu-san was standing over her expectantly, his eyes betraying a hint of eagerness. After a couple weeks of learning and getting used to the expectations of her this was Atushi's one word signal for his desire for sweets. Mai regarded his expression for a few seconds before walking to the bench where her bag, and the rest of the team, was hydrating themselves. She rummaged around her school bag before producing a bag of ginger snap cookies and tossed it to the giant who of course caught it easily and began at once to devour the treats.

"Ah. Hikari-san." Fukui began tentatively.

The tall white-haired girl looked at him boredly.

"Do you...play sports?" The girl stared at him further. Was she...glaring?

"I mean..." Fukui stuttered, "that is to say. You're quite tall yes?"

Pause.

"180 cm." Mai stated.

"Excuse me?" The Yosen team paused, the sound of Murakisabara devouring the crunchy ginger snaps the only sound reverberating in the gym.

"That's how tall I am." Mai muttered as she rummaged through her bag for her cell phone. "180 cm..." after checking the small screen she walked over to coach Masako and said something to her in quiet undertones.

Okamura let out a low whistle.

"She's almost as tall as Himuro..." Fukui pondered allowed. The team murmured in agreement.

Mai nodded and bowed to the basketball coach before heading back to the team. They watched her in silence as she texted someone back on her cellphone then, closed it, and started to put her things away.

"...So..." Fukui continued tentatively, "You must have played a sport. At least once."

Mai turned her head so sharply, the boys took a step back. Although they had become accustomed to her sharp glares and sullen attitude. But this glance was different. It was venomous, a killing intent. Even Murakisabara stopped his snacking (later it was discovered he had run out of cookies).

"I-I-I mean. Surely, with your height you played basketball perhaps? And, um, you're pretty fit as well. Maybe track?" Fukui's voice slowly peetered out, buckling under her stare.

Another pause.

"Once." Mai said quietly, slowly rising to her full height. She walked slowly to the door, her heels clicking in the silent gym. She turned in the doorway, her eyes hard and cold. "And never again." The tall girl stated tersely, before letting the gym door slam shut behind her.

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Continue to R&amp;R

.:Illegal-Pharmacy:.


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